by Max Lockwood
“And what did you find?” Sergio asked dryly.
“Oh, it’s bad,” Crystal said before pursing her pale pink lips. “It’s worse than we thought. Of course, we knew it had to be nothing short of catastrophic, but you are the first healthy humans we’ve run into in the last twenty-four hours.”
“Did you really have to go outside to understand that this thing is spreading faster than wildfire?” Sergio asked skeptically.
“We’re curious and we hate being idle,” Crystal admitted. “We wanted to help the community and feed our curiosity at once. We’re not completely helpless, you know. The only reason we’re here now is because our car broke down and we were in the process of finding a new one.”
“I thought military guys liked adventure,” Adele wondered out loud.
“We do,” Carl said. “Sergio is just in a bad mood. Don’t mind him.”
Sergio rolled his eyes. “I’m surprised you don’t want to get back immediately,” he said to Carl.
“I do,” he said slowly. “But it doesn’t hurt to help others out.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Crystal said. “Did we mention that we really appreciate it?”
Matthew smiled. Finally, they were able to help someone. They weren’t the poor and pathetic travelers he was assuming they’d find, but they needed something that the guys could give them. It wasn’t a big, daring rescue, but it was a gesture that could potentially save their lives. There was no telling what they would have found out there by themselves.
It was too early to be certain, but Matthew liked Crystal and Adele. They seemed like nice women who saw the good in others and trusted the men to get them home safely. They were friendly when they could have been hostile. That was a good sign to Matthew that the women wouldn’t cause them trouble. They even offered to disarm themselves while they rode in the car and offered the three some of their community’s supplies. Matthew wasn’t sure if his group would offer as much to complete strangers.
“Is the smell in here absolutely unbearable?” Carl asked the women, giving a sheepish grin.
“It’s not great,” Crystal admitted. “What happened to you guys?”
“We got into a bit of trouble while on a supply run. Consider yourselves lucky that you don’t have to spend every day dealing with zombies. If you have the option to venture out again, I suggest you choose to stay inside. It’s not worth the risk.”
“You might be right,” Crystal said. “But would you stay inside all the time if you had the choice? I mean, it’s been months since we holed up in our community. I was getting restless. I think I’ve gotten it out of my system, though.”
“So, what did you end up getting that was so important?” Sergio asked.
Crystal unzipped her bag and sifted through the cargo, picking out a few items to show to the group.
“Let’s see—we have a few bags of rice, some soup stock, and a couple of bottles of wine—”
“You would get along well with my sister,” Carl muttered under his breath.
“It’s not just for me.” She giggled. “We’re pretty good about sharing back home. I’m not going to chug a bottle before I get back or anything like that. I’m not an alcoholic.”
Sergio grasped the steering wheel a little harder at her glib response. Even Carl winced a little, but only enough that Matthew could tell. After all, Matthew knew what to look for.
“Oh, and some flour and yeast for the bread,” Crystal added.
“You’re making bread at your place?” Matthew asked, now interested in their facilities.
“Yeah, we have people whose job is to cook for the group. I guess I wouldn’t say they were jobs as much as they were pastimes. They bake fresh bread almost every day. One of the buildings has a brick oven out back. It’s pretty over the top, but it’s great for baking when we don’t want to waste the electricity.”
“One of the buildings?” Matthew asked, but he was interrupted by Adele calling out driving instructions to Sergio. He made a series of turns before he was instructed to go straight for a few more minutes.
“I know we don’t have much to repay you guys with,” Adele said, “but I hope you’ll stick around for a hot meal and a little rest. I suppose you don’t get a lot of sleep when you’re on the road like this.”
“Not really,” Carl replied. “Even when we’re in a place where we can rest for a while, it’s hard to sleep knowing that those things are out there, multiplying by the minute.”
Adele frowned. “I’ve never really thought of it that way.”
This struck Matthew as odd. He just assumed that his experiences were somewhat universal. After all, everyone who survived the zombie attacks had to have some lasting trauma.
“Maybe it’s just an occupational hazard,” Matthew said. “We’re always kind of on high alert.”
“Gotta stay vigilant,” Carl agreed.
“Now I feel guilty for sleeping so soundly while other people have been struggling,” Adele said.
“Oh, hey, don’t feel bad,” Matthew said awkwardly, trying to comfort his new acquaintance. “I guess we don’t spend a lot of time around well-adjusted people.”
“You can say that again,” Sergio muttered.
“We’re not as messed up as we’re coming off right now,” Carl said hastily. “I promise we’re not total bummers.”
“No, I like you guys,” Crystal said. “I wish there were more of you around.”
Matthew felt a warmth that he hadn’t felt in a while. He had never thought of himself as someone who was good at making friends, yet here were two women who enjoyed spending time with them, after only a half-hour or so in the car.
“You guys aren’t so bad yourselves.” Carl smiled at the girls before turning his head to look back out the window.
As Crystal and Adele giggled, Matthew couldn’t help but think about the two women back at the office building who were waiting for Sergio and Carl to come home. Then, he thought of Ellie and Genevieve, who were anxiously awaiting the science equipment that would allow them to study the zombie disease. There were so many of them waiting for the three soldiers to come back that Matthew felt just a little guilty that they had agreed to spend some time at this new compound. But just like Crystal and Adele, Matthew was in need of an adventure, and his curiosity of their lifestyle had gotten the best of him.
12
The farther they drove, the nicer the neighborhoods became. They were no longer in the territory where lonely towers stood in bare lots, but in the kinds of places that Matthew had only admired from afar. Stunning brick houses stood proudly near the streets, their landscaping only mildly overgrown, as if the owner had been away on holiday. No, it was as if the gardeners were away on holiday.
“Almost there,” Adele said, watching the road. “Just follow the street and you’ll know our place when you see it.”
Carl raised his eyebrows. He must have also been expecting to find a whole host of people holing up in a two-bedroom house or a small office. Judging by the expressions of the other men, Matthew figured that they had no experience with the lifestyles of the types to live in these homes. Just when Matthew thought the homes couldn’t be any more beautiful and grand, they would pass the next one. It was as if they were built in consecutive order, each contractor trying to outdo the last.
Finally, they reached the compound. While an existing gate was already in place to keep the riffraff out of the pristine neighborhood, it was clear that more precautions had been set up in light of the zombie incident.
Watchtowers had been erected near the entrance, one on each side. Through the trees, Matthew spotted a few more around the neighborhood’s perimeter. On top of each tower sat a guard in dark sunglasses, casually holding a semi-automatic rifle.
The hedgerows that kept onlookers from coveting their neighbor’s begonias was now lined with a wire fence, similar to what farmers use to keep their livestock from straying. At the top sat two ominous coils of razor wire, shining in the sunlight. As they drove closer, Ma
tthew noticed rows of sharp spikes covering the ground in front of the fence. He wondered if any zombies were deterred by a little foot injury. But he wasn’t in any position to mock another’s defenses. After all, it seemed to be enough to make Adele and Crystal feel secure.
“This is us,” Crystal said casually, as if they were dropping her off in front of a perfectly average home.
“What do you want me to do about the armed guards?” Sergio asked, slowing down to a stop. “By the way they’re pointing their guns at me, I get the feeling that I’m not supposed to keep going.”
Carl gritted his teeth. By bringing in the women, he thought that he would avoid other kinds of conflict. Instead, it appeared that he had created more conflict of his own. He tried not to look at Sergio in case he was staring back at him with derision.
The neighborhood guards put the three soldiers to shame in terms of professional appearance. The men and women dressed in riot gear, each armed with a gun that probably cost as much as Matthew’s last car. One stepped forward and held out a gloved hand, prohibiting Sergio from entering.
“They probably just don’t recognize the car,” Crystal said. She unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed over Matthew to get out of the car.
Matthew nearly reached for her hand to pull her back inside, but she was gone before he could ask her if it was really a good idea to jump out of a car that was being aimed at with multiple guns.
Carl quickly rolled down the window in case he had to come to her aid, yet he didn’t stick his head out. That would only be asking for trouble.
“Do you want to let us in?” Crystal asked, putting a hand on her hip. “The mayor sent us out to get some stuff and now we’re back. We brought a couple of guests, too. They’re totally healthy and upstanding citizens, and all that.”
The man guard gave her a nod and she practically skipped back to the car and slid back into her seat.
“We’re good to go.” She smiled. “When the gates open, just drive until you reach the little fountain.”
“Fountain?” Sergio scoffed.
It took a few minutes for the guards to move the gate and secure the entrance. Eventually, they were waved through and continued down the street at a crawl.
Matthew couldn’t make sense of where they were. Just a day ago, they were driving through zombies and dead bodies. They had coasted through business districts and ghettos, passing brownstones and public housing. All of it seemed bleak. Now, they were entering some sort of utopia where people walked along the sidewalks without a care in the world.
It reminded Matthew of the resort he and his wife stayed at on their honeymoon. Though they were repeatedly warned that the city they were located in was struggling economically and it was advised to stay within the resort, for fear of being robbed or held ransom, the resort was perfectly safe. Though the cartel ruled the world outside, it could never touch the pristine community by the water.
Similarly, as far as Matthew could tell, the zombies had never stepped foot in this enclave. Armed guards walked the streets, but so did children. How was it possible that this little community remained completely untouched and largely unaffected by the disaster that had torn the country apart?
“Must be nice,” Sergio sang under his breath. “I suppose the rich are immune to just about everything, including the zombie apocalypse.”
“Come on, man,” Carl groaned, embarrassed by his friend.
Crystal smirked. “He’s not wrong. Neither of us are originally from here, but we were lucky enough to be here when it hit the fan. It’s hard to talk crap about how unfair it all is when I’ve benefitted from it. That’s going to change, though. We have people working on bringing survivors in to join us. It’s not as exclusive as it seems.”
Matthew nodded. He felt foolish for thinking he could convince these people to join him in his abandoned office building. Obviously, everyone was much better off in this fancy neighborhood.
“So, how did you get here?” Carl asked. “You said you were here before the pandemic even started?”
“I’m originally from out west,” Adele said, “but I came here for school. A family friend said I could house sit for them while they’re on sabbatical in Africa. I got to live in a nice house for free while they ensured that it stayed pristine. It’s complete chance that I’m safe and not a zombie like the majority of my classmates probably are.”
“And I had family here,” Crystal said, her voice a little softer than before. “But ever since we went under lockdown, the whole community has come closer. We don’t stay home alone in our eight-bedroom houses. We’ve turned a few homes into boarding houses, of sorts.”
“It feels safer that way,” Adele added. “I know that I always have a bunch of people looking out for me. If something were to happen, I wouldn’t have to fight alone.”
“That’s good,” Carl said.
“Yeah, but couldn’t you just lose the zombies in the house? I assume it’s like a maze in there,” Sergio joked.
“Actually, it cuts down on accidental shootings,” Adele said. “Imagine that you think you’re home alone, until you hear a noise coming from downstairs. Because you’re not expecting anyone, you pick up your hunting rifle and blow the head off the first person you see, thinking that you’re under attack. Come to find out, it’s just your neighbor who came to check in on you.”
“Do you speak from experience?” Sergio asked.
“No,” Adele replied. “I’ve never killed anyone who didn’t have a taste for human flesh. Have you?”
Sergio raised his eyebrows. He felt as though he was being challenged.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Matthew quickly interjected. “That way, you have more empty rooms for when you bring new people in.”
“Exactly,” Crystal said. “We’re not all just a bunch of rich snobs. We’re just normal people who happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
While it did seem wildly unfair that this particular group seemed impervious to zombies, he couldn’t really fault the women for it. They were just average people like them who had somehow made their way to a wealthy part of town before the zombies attacked. There was no need to be rude with them because they hadn’t experienced the same hardships as the others had. They didn’t have a choice in the matter. Even if they did, of course they would choose to be safe and protected, not stuck in an office park where rotting zombies stunk up the lobby.
“Just park anywhere you want,” Crystal said once they reached the fountain. The piece of art stood about fifteen feet tall but didn’t pump out any water. Perhaps there was no running water.
“The mayor is going to want to speak with you,” Adele said. “She’s nice. She’ll probably find you a nice room to rest. She’s especially accommodating for her guests.”
“The mayor is definitely going to speak to you,” Crystal said, pointing out the window. “She’s here right now.”
“Mayor?” Carl asked. “Like, of New York City?”
Adele laughed. “No, but she might be one day. Mayor Schilling was the president of the homeowner’s association before the outbreak. She was basically voted in to be in charge of this community. She’s lived here longer than anyone else, and she’s pretty smart. I think you’ll like her.”
Crystal opened the door and exited the vehicle, followed by Adele, who promptly greeted the mayor. She had short, spiky grey hair and wore a navy blazer that looked oversized on her small frame. Her rectangular glasses reminded Matthew of the mean librarian from his elementary school.
“I hear we have new guests,” Mayor Schilling said, forcing a smile. “Who do we have here?”
“Matthew, Carl, and Sergio,” Crystal said, pointing to each one as they exited the Jeep. “They helped us out after our car broke down so we invited them in to rest up before they moved on.”
“Excellent,” she said, sizing the men up. “I trust that none of you have come into contact with the awful illness?”
“That’s correct, ma�
�am,” Carl replied.
“Good.”
She continued to stare at each of them, as if she were reading their minds. It made Matthew highly uncomfortable, but he trusted the girls’ assessment of the mayor. If they said she was okay, then he had no reason to think any differently.
“Did you bring back the supplies on the list?” she asked.
Crystal held up her bag. “We got it all.”
“Good girls,” Mayor Schilling crooned. “I’ll have you drop them off in the kitchen before dinner. The chefs will be pleased that you’ve returned. Now, gentlemen, I hope you’re staying for dinner. In fact, I urge you to.”
“It would be an honor,” Carl said politely.
“It’s not caviar and lobster, but it’s hot and nourishing,” she said. “I’m glad you’ll be joining us. If you’re staying for dinner, then you might as well stay the night.”
“We can’t,” Sergio said abruptly. “There’s somewhere that we need to be.”
“Not urgently,” Carl butted in, looking sullen. “By the time we have dinner, it will be dark again. Why don’t we just wait until tomorrow morning to go back?”
Sergio fidgeted with the zipper on his jacket. “I’m not sure why you’re not more eager to get back.”
Carl cringed. He didn’t mind arguing with Sergio, but not in front of new acquaintances, especially the mayor.
“It would be rude to turn down dinner,” he said quietly. “The others will be fine and we’ll see them tomorrow.”
“So you accept?” the mayor asked, clapping her hands. “Good. I’ll have someone make a few rooms up for you in the Smith Wing. Dinner is in the main hall at six. I trust that Adele and Crystal will show you around. Why don’t you park the car down the street at the park? The girls will take their findings to the kitchen and meet you back at the fountain to show you to your rooms. They should be ready by then.”
“Sounds good,” Matthew said. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure,” Mayor Schilling said, looking down her nose. “I will see the three of you tonight.”
She turned on her heel and marched away, toward the stunning mansion across the street. Matthew looked toward Crystal, feeling out of place.
